A/N: Here's the funeral chapter. It's quite sad, but what funeral isn't? Note: I'm Catholic myself, so I may have gone a little overboard with the minutiae of what a Catholic funeral mass would look like. Please read and review!

Chapter 9: Saying Goodbye

Donna hadn't gone to church in years with the exception of Easter and Christmas. When her father had passed three years earlier, he didn't have a traditional funeral service, but a memorial held at a local funeral home. She knew CJ was Catholic, so she decided to look to her down the pew for cues on to when to stand, when to sit, when to kneel, and what to say. Luckily, the family, probably assuming that only some of the congregants were actually Catholic, had thought to include a page in the program listing the order of the mass and the proper responses.

"Let us pray." the priest began as the family had taken their place in the front pews. Donna took Leo's hand and bowed her head. The priest gave a short, but beautiful prayer about life everlasting. After the prayer, the priest gave some introductory words welcoming them to the service and inviting Ellie forward to give the First Reading.

Ellie stepped forward to the pulpit. Her eyes were red rimmed, and her voice shook as she announced, "A reading from the book of Ecclesiastes."

She then recovered her voice, and went on to read the famous passage: "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance...".

Ellie held it together until the final line, when she said "a time for war, and a time for peace." At that point in the reading, her voice cracked, but she cleared her throat, finished and walked back to her seat.

After that was the psalm. Annie, who had always had a good voice and had sung in the church choir as a teenager, led the congregation in the traditional funeral psalm "The Lord Is My Shepherd".

Donna listened to the words of the psalm carefully. She had heard the "Lord is my shepherd" prayer probably a thousand times, but realized that until today, she had never really heard the words. Tears came to her eyes as she watched the President's oldest granddaughter, now married with a child of her own, bravely leading the congregation. Josh looked over and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Gus Westin gave the second reading, proclaiming from the second book of Timothy: "I am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing."

As the congregation stood for the Gospel, Donna felt her mind wandering as she thought about her eulogy. Would it be good enough? Would it say exactly what she wanted it to say about President Bartlet?

Then she heard the words of the Gospel of Matthew: "Blessed are the peacemakers; they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted in the cause of right; theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven."

The passage comforted her as she pulled her kids close. She now knew that no matter what he said, it would be worthy of his memory because he really was a good man.

The rest of the Mass moved quickly. The homily was moving but brief, with the priest expressing once more what death meant for Christians and Catholics, and referencing Jed's particular strong belief in God. The three Young girls and Melody, who also sang in the children's choir in Manchester, sang prior to the presentation of the gifts the "Old Irish Blessing", a song that Jed had loved to listen to. Donna and CJ looked at one another over the kids and started crying. There was no better fitting memorial.

Then the four girls regrouped to bring forward the gifts, as the congregation sang "How Great Thou Art". Then, they all knelt down for the Communion prayer, then rose again for the Our Father. Donna stood with each of her sons on either side, pulling from a long-dormant memory the prayer that she hadn't said since she was a young child.

Following the Communion rite, the congregation went up for Communion. Donna followed CJ and her family out the other end of the pew, leaving Josh and her kids.

CJ, a lapsed Catholic, hadn't taken Communion in about 10 years, and Donna hadn't taken Communion since the family had gone to the Christmas Eve service with Donna's parents the previous year. But they stumbled through the line, watching the others in front of them carefully. The "Amen" after "The body of Christ '' was the easy part.

Once everyone was back in their seats, it was time for the eulogies.

"We will now hear from Josiah Bartlet's daughters, who will give us a brief glimpse of what their father meant to them." the priest announced.

Liz went first. Dressed in a simple black dress, she spoke clearly and concisely from the pulpit about her memories of her father. She began by describing how, when she was five, Jed used to read to her every night, and how he continued that until she was fifteen. She talked about finding out she was pregnant by Doug Westin, a Yale sophomore, when she was only seventeen. When Jed had found out, he didn't talk to her for two days, but right as Liz was preparing to get used to the idea of moving out, Jed came to her room and told her she could never be a disappointment. "The proudest I've ever seen Dad," Liz said, "was when I got to introduce him to his grandchildren for the first time. And he loved them more than anything."

Ellie was next. "I never had the best relationship with my father. I-I always felt like, you know, the classic middle child who wanted to rebel against everything my father said and did. And when he became President, that became even worse. I can recall a couple of times that I caused PR headaches. But, one night, my dad said something to me that I will never, ever forget. He said to me, 'The only thing you ever had to do to make me happy was come home at the end of the day.'" Her voice broke and she started crying hard enough that Vic had to get up and help her back to her seat.

Zoey was last. "I was the literal face of the First Family from the time my dad took office. We all went through some painful times, but the one thing that never changed was my dad's love for me. When I was kidnapped in 2003, my dad made the hardest decision he ever made: he willingly stepped back from office so he could focus on finding me and not having his judgment clouded. When he was shot in 2000, the first thing he asked was whether or not I had been hit. He refused to go into surgery until he saw me and knew I was OK." She took a breath as tears began to stream down her face. Donna started to cry as she watched one of her closest friends mourning the loss of her father.

"I love you, Daddy." she whispered as she walked back to her seat. When she was partway to her seat, Charlie got up and helped her back to her seat before approaching the pulpit himself.

"My father-in-law was the center of our family." Charlie began. "He loved his wife, his daughters, and grandchildren more than life itself. But he also welcomed into his family those of us who found their way to him. I interviewed at the White House at a crucial time in my life. My mother had just died, and I was raising my little sister. The President took a chance on me, and I will forever be grateful for it. When I asked him if it was alright if I asked his daughter out, he agreed but said, 'Just remember two things: she's 19 years old and the 82nd Airborne works for me.'"

The church burst out laughing. That was such a typical thing for Jed to say.

"And then there was the time when he sent me running around the White House at Thanksgiving looking for a perfect carving knife."

Josh and Donna smiled to themselves. They knew where this was going.

"I never found the knife he was looking for. When I asked him why he was being so specific about the knife, he told me he was giving his family heirloom knife away. And then, he pulled the carving knife out of his desk, and said that his father had given this to him and now he was giving it to me. It was made for his family by a Boston silversmith named Paul Revere. That was the day he officially adopted me as one of his own."

Charlie smiled, savoring the memory. Then, he cleared his throat and said, "Now we're going to hear from some other people who my father-in-law adopted into a surrogate professional family. First up, the President of the United States and former Deputy Communications Director Samuel Seaborn."

Sam stepped up to the pulpit and Donna sat up a little straighter. She wasn't working that day, but that didn't stop her from wanting to show respect.

"Hi everyone." Sam said. "I didn't work for the Bartlet administration as long as some of the other people you'll hear from today, but President Bartlet made his mark on me and on my wife. Many of you probably don't know that Ainsley was hired to work for the White House after she managed to show me up on Capitol Beat. (That got a lot of laughs). And Ainsley first met President Bartlet when he surprised her in her basement office when she was caught completely off-guard, but that's a story for another day. As far as my relationship with President Bartlet goes, one of the best things I remember about him is that even after I left the White House, he never stopped supporting my ventures. As a matter of fact, just about five years ago, when I was about to win my Congressional seat, he and the First Lady decided to pay me a little visit on Election Night…"

Election Night 2014:

Sam and Ainsley were sitting in their hotel room at the Watergate Hotel, anxiously watching the election returns and waiting to hear about the race for Maryland. Most of the main focus was on who would win the Presidential election, but the campaign staff had found local channels that were covering the state elections.

And, of course, they were both worried about Donna. The four had been in the hotel suite earlier when Donna's water had broken. Obviously, 35 weeks was a little too soon to be having the baby, but Josh had called from the hospital two hours ago and said that Donna was doing fine and the doctor thought it was going to be quick.

"Should Josh have called by now?" Ainsley asked.

Sam sighed. "Honey, I'm sure everything's fine. They're just incredibly busy. You remember how it is."

Ainsley did remember. It had only been about two months since their daughter Ava was born.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door to the room, and an agent entered. "Visitors, sir."

"Who could possibly be visiting at this hour?" Sam asked.

The door opened wider to reveal President Bartlet walking through the door, leaning on a cane.

"Mr. President!" both of them said at the same time. Sam walked over and hugged the older man.

"What are you doing here?" Sam asked.

"What, did you think the wife and I were going to miss your big night?" the President cracked. Just then, the First Lady filed in behind him, also showering greetings on the couple.

"I hear it's also a pretty big night for the Lymans." Abbey quipped. "Any word from the hospital? I know they were hoping to get her closer to term."

"Josh said she's progressing well, and the doctors are saying it'll be quick." Sam reported.

"Well, that's good." Abbey said.

"Sam," President Bartlet said. "We wanted to come down here and be the first to tell you how proud we are of you."

Sam blushed for probably the first time in his adult life. "Thank you, sir."

"Any word on the returns?"

"Well-" Suddenly, Sam was interrupted by a loud cheer coming from the hall, and the news feed on WBAL cutting in: "This just in-with 93% of the vote in, we are pleased to project that Samuel Seaborn has officially unseated the Republican incumbent to become the next Congressman for the Maryland eighth district-"

Ainsley screamed, wrapping Sam up in a tight hug before kissing him. The Bartlets also shrieked with happiness, and Abbey kissed him on the cheek.

"Well done, son." President Bartlet said. "Well done, indeed."

His campaign staff then poured into the suite, peppering him with hugs and manly claps on the back. Sam was in a bit of shock; he could hardly believe he had won, but he was extremely glad he had people like the Bartlets to share it with. Then, Josh's phone call came in, and Sam was swept up in the excitement of the newest addition to the extended family that was the Bartlet senior staff. He couldn't believe how lucky he was.

"That was the kind of man Bartlet was," Sam concluded. "And that's how I'll always remember him." He stepped away from the pulpit, clearly filled with emotion, and stepped back to his seat.

Toby went next and launched into the story of how, in the second year of the Bartlet administration, he discovered that a homeless Korean War veteran had died wearing his coat. Instead of just forgetting about it, he used the President's name to arrange an honor guard for a military funeral. When President Bartlet heard about it, he said, he commended him on it. He also spoke candidly about his presidential pardon, and how he was honored that the last thing he had chosen to do with his time in office was to give him back his time with his kids and his chosen career.

CJ was next. She began by talking about when she joined the Bartlet campaign, and her simple question to Toby: Is he a good man?

"I answered my own question several times over the years, by watching him make decisions that weren't always popular, but were always in the best interest of the public. And he also felt compassion for fellow fathers and grandfathers. There was this one evening when a man named Senator Stackhouse engaged in a filibuster. We couldn't figure out why he was stalling the bill, until we came to understand that his own grandson had autism, which was why he wanted an amendment allocating money for autism research. I'll never forget what the President said that night: 'CJ, let me tell you something, don't ever, ever underestimate the will of a grandfather.' And I will never forget that night, because with that same compassion, he treated the staff like a family. When I was getting married twelve years ago, it became clear that my father, ill with Alzheimer's, would be unable to make the trip to Santa Monica to walk me down the aisle. And so, President Bartlet volunteered himself to do the most heartfelt thing he ever did for me.."

August 15, 2007, Santa Monica Beach:

The beach was beautifully set up for a wedding at sunset. There were about thirty guests, which compared to Josh and Donna's 300, was a minuscule wedding. It was basically Danny's family, CJ's small family, co-workers, and the White House friends she had come to see as family. CJ and Danny had decided they didn't need anything else. Even Danny had chosen to forego the traditional tux, picking out a white suit for the occasion. They had also decided not to have a large wedding party, with just two attendants.

Meanwhile, inside the small beach house that CJ and Danny shared, CJ stood in the front room. Her simple strapless ivory dress was stunning, and in place of a veil she had pinned her brunette hair back with a delicate orchid.

"CJ, you look stunning!" Donna said.

"Thanks, Donna." CJ said to her friend of ten years, taking her hand gratefully. Donna, as CJ's matron of honor, had taken charge of many of the wedding details, insisting it was way more fun than planning her White House extravaganza wedding two months earlier. CJ had even insisted on not spending a ton of money on fancy wedding attire, so Donna was wearing a simple flowered dress that they had gone and picked out the previous day.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." CJ called.

Abbey poked her head in. "If you ladies are ready, I think we're ready to start."

"I think we are." CJ said. She never would've pictured this day would come when she had been working in the White House, not even when she and Danny had been dating the first time around.

"Come on, CJ. Let's get you married." Donna said, grinning as the two headed out the back door and down the steps, where President Bartlet waited, leaning on his cane.

"Claudia Jean, you look beautiful." he said, smiling.

"Thank you, sir." CJ said. "And I can't thank you enough for doing this."

"Nonsense. You've always been like a daughter to me."

The President's words lifted her spirits, and with Donna walking in front of them, they made their way to the wedding area.

With the soundtrack of a violin and guitar playing Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love" , Danny got into place with his brother Rob next to him. Donna made her way down the aisle, smiling even wider as she saw the look in Josh's eyes, watching her go down the aisle.

Then, as the music continued, the simple audience stood as CJ began her walk towards Danny and the justice leaning on President Bartlet's arm. Really, he was leaning on her more, but that hardly mattered. Danny grinned broadly as his fiance approached.

As they approached, President Bartlet gave CJ a kiss on the cheek, then stopped to give Danny a jovial reminder: "If you ever hurt her.."

"You still have pull with the 82nd Airborne." Danny finished. CJ laughed softly, then turned to President Bartlet.

"Sir.."

"The pleasure is all mine, Claudia Jean." the President said, smiling as he went to sit by Abbey. CJ smiled, then turned to face Danny as the justice began the service.

"That was what was so wonderful about him." CJ finished. "He never once hesitated to accept his Senior Staff as a second family." There were tears brimming in her eyes, but she blinked them back as she returned to her seat.

Then, it was Josh's turn.

Josh approached the pulpit and began to speak:

"I first came to know President Bartlet when Leo McGarry, an old friend of my father's, made me come hear him speak at a rally in New Hampshire. I fell in love with him immediately, and worked to convince everyone that he was "the real thing". I don't have a big speech prepared, but I wanted to share one particular memory that I think sums up how I feel about President Bartlet. On the night of the Illinois primary, I got some pretty terrible news from back home-my father, who had been battling cancer, had died suddenly. I dropped everything and headed to the airport to fly home to Connecticut. I was sitting at the airport, feeling pretty sorry for myself, when out of nowhere I heard the President's voice. He had come to the airport with the Secret Service in tow, just to tell me in person how sorry he was that my dad died, and to sit with me until my flight left."

Donna had tears in her eyes. She remembered that night very well.

"That was the first time I really felt the President embrace me as his own. Especially now that my own father was gone, he took me under his wing, kind of like he did with Charlie." He smiled at Charlie before continuing. "He may have hassled me at times, but what father figure doesn't? And it was him that, along with Leo McGarry, finally pushed me together with the love of my life. And I'll always be forever grateful for that." He made brief eye contact with Donna. "Thanks, Mr. President, for everything."

Everyone was crying after Josh's speech, but there was still one more eulogy left. Donna approached the podium. She was already crying from Josh's speech, but she was determined to get through this without breaking down.

"I began in the Bartlet administration 21 years ago as a Senior Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff, who later became my husband. But even though I wasn't a member of Senior Staff, that didn't stop President Bartlet from developing a relationship with me. I don't know to this day what drew him to me, but I think the fact that I was the only one on the campaign bus willing to engage with him in his lectures of useless trivia helped."

That got quite a few laughs. Donna gave a small smile before continuing.

"In our fourth year in office, I learned that my favorite high school teacher, Mrs. Morello, was retiring. I badgered Josh all day to get the President to make a presidential proclamation on her behalf. Eventually, towards the end of the day, Josh gave in and wrote a memo. Then, the president called me into the Oval Office. He told me that he couldn't give me what I had wanted, but what he did was so much better than any proclamation. He had Charlie get her on the phone in the Oval Office, so I could stand there and tell her how much she had meant to me as a teacher. Most importantly, I got to tell her that the reason I was standing where I was today was her. I never forgot what he did for me that day. I always felt that he was genuinely proud of me and what I had accomplished, and that feeling never really went away. And I never-" Here was where her voice started to shake. "I never got to tell him that the feeling was mutual."

She swallowed hard. "We will never forget him." she said quietly. No longer, even trying to hide her tears, she walked back to her seat.

After the eulogies, everyone needed a minute. Then, the priest stood for the final prayer and commendation. Donna watched silently as the casket was sprinkled with holy water, and the prayer was said blessing his spirit and those who remained in life.

Then, the congregation stood for the closing hymn, and Josh joined the pallbearers to carry out the coffin. The Bartlet family followed, and Sam and his family headed out right afterwards.

Donna followed the First Family out with her family. Approaching Josh, she hugged him tight and then, hand in hand, the family headed out the doors of the church to go to the cemetery.

A/N: Wow, this is officially the longest chapter I've ever written! I hope I've done the funeral justice. The next chapter, which may end up being the last, will be much happier, I promise!